Rubber plate for shoes.



".T. -P. KLINE.

RUBBER PLATE FOR SHOES.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN-.1a. 1910.

982,278. Patented Jan. 24, 191,1.

,//a f? (id '1W EF1@ li RUBBER PLATE FOR SHOES.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN PHILLIP KLINE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Jackson and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Rubber Plate for Slices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a rubber plate which is intended to be fastened to the bottom of shoes such as are worn by ball players and other athletes to give them a firm hold on the ground and prevent them from slipping.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a plate which will serve the purpose for which it is designed, and will not cut or hurt a player who is stepped on.

A further object of the invention is to provide a shoe plate which can be easily and quickly applied to the sole of a shoe to form the tread portion thereof and can be removed and replaced by a new plate when it becomes worn.

With the foregoing` and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of invention herein disclosed can bc made wit-hin the scope of the claim wit-hout departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification,-Figure 1 is an under plan view of a shoe provided with the improvements o-f the present invention. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. -is a perspective view of a shoe tread or plate constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of the invention. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Like reference numerals indicate corresponding parts in the different figures of the drawing.

The shoe plate of the present invention is formed in the shape of a thin disk 1 which preferably is flexible and is 'formed of rubber or a mixture of rubber and steel wool or any other suitable material. Secured to the inner face of the disk 1 in any desired manner is a protective layer 2 formed of canvas or other suitable fabric or material. The disk l has formed on the outer face thereof a tread portion 3 which Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led January 18, 1910.

Patented Jan. 24, 1911.

Serial No. 538,745.

preferably is of a thickness equal to the thickness of the sole of the shoe to which the plate is to be applied. The thickened tread portion 3 has formed on the face thereof a plurality of projections 4. It will be apparent that the disk 1, in effect, constitutes a peripheral extension of the tread portion 3.

In applying the plate of the present invention to a shoe, an opening is cut in the shoe sole, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, said opening being preferably of the same shape as the tread portion 3 of the plate. The opening in the shoe sole preferably is relatively small so that the edges thereof will be removed from the nails or line of stitching by which the sole is secured upon the shoe. After the opening has been cut in the shoe sole, the edges of the disk or peripheral extension 1 of the plate are doubl-ed up or folded and are forced through the opening in the shoe sole and are then caused to spread out beneath the sole, as shown best in Fig. 2, wherein the numeral 5 indicates the shoe sole and 6 the opening cut therein. Vhen the plate has been inserted into the opening in the sole in the manner indicated in Fig. 2, the tread portion 3 ofthe plate lies flush with the outer surface of the sole 5, as indicated, and the projections 4 exten-d a suitable distance outward from the sole of the shoe to prevent slipping.

If desired the edges of the shoe sole 5 around the opening 6 therein are held properly in shape by means of a fiat ring 7 formed of metal or other suitable material and having` openings therein to receive the clench nails or other fastening devices 8.

-lVhen the projections 4 of the plate wear down, the device can be readily removed and l a new one substituted. As shown in Fig. 1

the shoe can be provided with two of the plates, one located on the ball of the foot and the other on the heel. Usually, however, one plate upon the ball of the foot is sufficient.

If it be not desired to cut an opening in the sol-e of the shoe, the construction and arrangement illustrated in Fivs. 4 and 5 of the drawing may be employed. ln this modified construction the plate preferably is shaped exactly as shown in the preferred form; that is to say, it is formed with a tread portion having a flexible peripheral extension and a series of projections. In

this modified form a dished metal plate 9 is embedded in the rubber plate, as shown most clearly in Fig. 5 of the drawing, said dished metal plate 9 having a flat outer edge l0. The dished or bulged portion of the plate 9 extends outwardly, as indicated.

The canvas layer 2a in this modified form of the invention is interposed between the rubber plate and the outer surface of the shoe sole 5a. A metal ring or plate 7a is placed around the tread portion 3a of the shoe plate and is held in position upon the sole 5a by means such as the clench nails 8a. This construction, when worn out, can be readily removed and replaced by a new plate. v

The circular plate or ring 7, shown in Fig. l, and the plate 7, shown in Fig. 4, preferably are both formed with approximately triangular central portions 7, which fit snugly in between the projections 4.

The central portion 7 is formed integral with the outer portion of the plate, so as to produce in effect a solid plate with openings cut therein for the projections 4 to extend through.

That is claimed as new is:

A shoe sole having' a tread member secured thereto and provided with triangularly arranged projections, and a metal plate comprising a circular portion surrounding said projections and a triangular portion disposed between the projections and connected with the circular portion at points bet-Ween the projections.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto atiXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN PHILLIP KLINE. IVitnesses FRANK A. BARNARD,

J. W. OLEARY. 

